Looking to migrate a store into Shopify or create a Shopify store from scratch? Your very first step should be looking into Shopify Setup Experts. Why? Let’s be honest—Shopify, in and of itself, can’t make your business a huge success.
No matter how user-friendly the platform is, you’ll need some extra help and expertise to create a store that attracts visitors and thrives. That’s where Shopify Setup Experts come into play.
Take a look at our guide to learn all about Shopify Setup Experts, why they’re so helpful, and tips to find the perfect Expert for your soon-to-be Shopify store.
What are Shopify Experts?
The term “experts” isn’t used lightly here. To even qualify to be a Shopify Expert, you have to provide at least 5 examples of Shopify stores you’ve helped succeed. From there, Experts are chosen to specialize in one of 5 categories depending on their area of expertise and where they’ve succeeded with stores in the past.
Those categories include:
- Setup Experts
- Designers
- Developers
- Marketers
- Photographers
Shopify defines these experts as “a cultivated community of trusted, motivated Shopify ambassadors who actively help merchants grow their businesses by providing them with high-quality services.”
How Can Shopify Setup Experts Help?
As you may have guessed, Shopify Setup Experts help get stores up and running. They can be an especially huge help when it comes to migrating a store from another eCommerce platform onto Shopify. This process can be technical and downright confusing, so it’s crucial to have an Expert step in.
Believe it or not, there are many other ways Shopify Setup Experts can help besides the nuts and bolts of a store setup done. Here are a couple of things they can aid with that you may not have considered:
Improving Your Rankings
By now, you should know that SEO is crucial for success in both startups and established businesses. Custom Shopify stores have a much better chance of being ranked higher in search engines than free generic sites. This is why Shopify Setup Experts are so helpful.
Image via Shopify
A custom website with well-categorized product names is much more SEO-friendly and marketable. This means that your business has the chance to thrive since your store will be more visible to more eyes in Google search results.
Saving You Valuable Time
Do you want to spend 2-3 months building your Shopify store? Didn’t think so. Not only is that time valuable but you could also end up with a store that doesn’t receive conversions. What does that mean? Going back to the drawing board and missing out on sales.
According to ECOMsultant, here’s the laundry list of items involved in getting your store up and running:
- Designing your site
- Building out homepage and category (collection) pages
- Building out and configuring product catalog
- Building out content pages (e.g. about, FAQ, terms, etc.)
- Setting up site navigation
- Setting up shipping and tax logic
- Setting up payment configuration
- Setting up SEO metadata & site analytics
- Setting up user accounts & permissions
- Configuring checkout logic
- Configuring notifications & email templates
- Configuring domain DNS records
After looking at this list, it should be easy to see why Shopify Setup Experts are so crucial when it comes to creating a successful store. Not too many new store owners are capable of tackling all of these tasks.
How to Choose the Right Shopify Setup Expert
Make a Pre-Search Checklist
In this same way you’d choose a Shopify theme, it’s important to make a list of everything you’re looking for from your store. This should be done before you even begin browsing. Don’t be shy about writing down exactly what you want (this is your store, after all).
This is your chance to figure out what you’re looking for so you have a guide while you’re browsing. It’s also handy to have concrete must-haves that you’ll be able to send to your chosen Shopify Setup Expert. Here’s what it should include:
- Goals. Jot down what you want to achieve from this eCommerce store as well as the setup, itself. It helps to categorize these goals into timeframes (e.g. 1 month, 6 months, 1 year, 5 years).
- Target customer and all of their attributes. Get into the specifics here—who are the people that will be likely to convert?
- Competitors. This will be helpful for the Shopify Setup Expert to check out as well as a great reference for you to check in on what they’re doing to improve their stores.
- Budget. Shopify Setup Experts range in price from $500 into the thousands. Think of this like hiring an employee—it’s a great investment and you get what you pay for. Experience and skill level will vary.
- Essential Features. If you a specific payment configuration or navigation in mind, make sure the Shopify Setup Expert has done it before so you know they’ll do it well.
- Overall Feel. This one is obvious, but write down how you want your store to look and feel. Minimal and clean? Bold and energetic? Make sure this vibe perfectly complements your products.
Scour Their Portfolio
Shopify requires Experts to upload at least 2 examples of their work. Spend a good chunk of time examining these stores to see if it’s what you’re looking for.
Do you have a complex site you’re migrating over? Probably not the right job for Shopify Setup Experts who primarily setup simple stores.
Aim to find a Shopify Setup Expert with a diverse portfolio. If they’re creating the same designs over and over, that’s a sign of an Expert with more limited capabilities. Also, make sure they’re creating fresh, modern stores. In the eCommerce world, a dated store is just asking for failure.
It’s also crucial to pay attention to things like responsiveness, cross-browser compatibility, cohesiveness throughout the store, and a real focus on the users.
Consider Communication
Communication is a huge part of the setup process. This is your opportunity to see how a Shopify Setup Expert works. It’s important to choose a Shopify Setup Expert with a willingness to communicate quickly and openly. Reach out to at least 3 Experts before deciding who you’d like to hire.
You have a vision for your store and that can’t come to fruition if you simply can’t get a hold of the person who’s going to get your eCommerce store started.
Here are 4 things to consider when you’re communicating with them:
- Do they respond quickly?
- Are they a clear communicator?
- Are they eager to learn about your store?
- Do they seem to understand your vision?
If they fall short when it comes to any of these critical questions, they’re not the right Shopify Setup Expert for your store.
Another great way to see how a Shopify Setup Expert works is to check out their testimonials. This will allow you to see how store owners liked working with this individual or agency.
Image via Shopify
It can also be a huge help to ask the Shopify Setup Expert to set up your store with apps like Shogun Landing Page Builder. This will allow you to easily customize and make small (or large) changes to your store later on without needing the aid of a Shopify Setup Expert.
Examples of Great Shopify Setup Experts
Need a little guidance when it comes to picking an Expert that could help your store succeed? The number of options may seem daunting. Here are a couple of solid Shopify Store Experts that range in price to give you an idea of what you should be looking for:
Storetasker helps entrepreneurs build better Shopify stores by connecting them directly with vetted, affordable development and design talent. This is a great way to get a qualified Shopify Setup Expert that you can trust:
Image via Storetasker
Electric Eye are eCommerce designers, developers, and marketers that are passionate about increasing your profits. They offer a variety of services that are custom tailored to grow your Shopify business.
Here’s an example of a website they set up:
Image via Electric Eye
Summary of Shopify Setup Experts: How Do You Choose the Right One?
Feel like you’re ready to begin the process of finding the best Shopify Setup Expert for your store? Congrats! But slow down a bit—before you begin browsing, don’t forget these three crucial steps in the process.
- Make a Checklist. Write down every single thing you’re looking for from a Shopify Setup Expert. Don’t forget to be detailed and thorough—this will help immensely with your search and the setup, itself.
- Scour Their Portfolio. Make sure their body of work is diverse and lines up with the kind of store you have or want to have. Keep an eye out for things like responsiveness, cross-browser compatibility, cohesiveness throughout the store, and a real focus on the users.
- Consider Communication. Do they respond quickly? Are they a clear communicator? Do they understand your vision? These are all incredibly important questions to ask yourself when it comes to picking the right Shopify Setup Expert for your store. Also, ask the Expert if they’ll set up your store with Shogun so you can make changes for years to come.
To make sure your freshly set up store is as successful as possible, include these 6 must-have pages every eCommerce store should have.
The post Shopify Setup Experts: How Do You Choose the Right One? appeared first on Shogun Blog.
